Re: Wet
work

: In a recent article in the New York Times
this passage occurs: '... the Albanians ... did
: wet work for the K.G.B.'
Does 'wet work' mean 'dirty work'? If so, why?

It means more than dirty work.
"Wet work" is spy slang (and allegedly CIA slang) for missions involving killing
someone - also known as "sanctioning" someone. I imagine it's called "wet work"
because it sometimes gets a bit messy.